GM to begin shipping replacement parts for recalled cars

Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, displays a GM ignition switch similar to those linked to 13 deaths and dozens of crashes of General Motors small cars like the Chevy Cobalt, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, April 1, 2014. (AP Photo)

This undated image taken from video shows the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash test of a 2005 General Motors Cobalt. (AP Photo)

General Motors expects to begin shipping replacement parts this week to GM dealers across the country to repair a faulty ignition switch in millions of vehicles.

Since February, GM has recalled 2.6 million cars — mostly Chevrolet Cobalts and Saturn Ions — over the faulty switch, which can cause the engine to cut off in traffic, disabling the power steering, power brakes and air bags and making it difficult to control the vehicle. That switch is now linked to 13 deaths. GM has acknowledged it knew about the problem for at least a decade but did not recall the cars until last month.

Owners of vehicles affected by the recall have received an initial letter from the company explaining the issue and outlining the next steps.

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“The letter tells them to remove everything from their key chain except their vehicle key, to keep some of the weight off of the key ring,” said Donna Witmer, service manager for Quigley Chevrolet in Bally.

GM has said that weight dangling from the rings can cause the ignition to slide out of the “run” position into accessory or off. That shuts down the engine and disables power-assisted steering, power brakes and air bags. As a result, a driver can lose control of their car.

Witmer said the dealership has been hearing from customers who have questions about the issue and what they should be doing.

“We’re basically telling people to remove everything from their key ring, then when the parts come in we’ll call and schedule a time for them to come in,” Witmer added. “It doesn’t take long to make the repair — it can be done while someone waits. It takes about 45 minutes to an hour to complete the procedure. If people need a loaner we can arrange one for them.”

She added that some people have been calling ahead, and for those customers, Quigley is ordering the parts as the calls come in.

As of Friday afternoon, Witmer said she had ordered close to 100 replacement parts. Other customers are waiting until they get that second letter from GM — a letter expected to go out once parts begin to ship.

Witmer said the customer calls have “run the gamut.”

“From some saying they just read the letter and are waiting to hear about the next step; to others with 150,000 miles on their car with no problems and others that are totally afraid to drive them.”

For those customers who don’t want to drive their vehicles at all until repairs are made, Witmer said GM will provide a rental car for them to use until repairs on their vehicle can be made.

“If they are too afraid to drive the vehicle, we understand,” Witmer said. “Nobody wants anything to happen to anyone. If someone is that afraid of driving the vehicle, we’ll do that for them.”

The GM recall information website indicates that: “Dealership service management is empowered to place the customer into a rental or loaner vehicle until parts are available to repair the customer’s vehicle. In some states there are age restrictions that limit the ability to obtain a rental vehicle. In such cases, a legal parent or guardian will be required to sign the vehicle rental contract and take full responsibility for the rental vehicle. Additionally in some states, drivers under a certain age may be required to pay a premium rate to rent or insure a vehicle. To address these situations, GM will cover these additional expenses.”

Witmer added that because some of the Pontiac and Saturn vehicles involved in the recall are not longer being made, repairs to these vehicles can also be made at the dealership.

Brad Moyer is the service manager for Kelly Chevrolet in Phoenixville.

“We are doing everything in our power to help each individual customer,” he said. He encouraged customers to access the recall information website and to contact the dealership if they have additional questions.

“It explains everything really well and answers a lot of questions for customers,” she said.

In addition to an FAQ section, there are several videos that explain the situation. There is also a link to the GM Owner Center, where customers can enter their car’s vehicle identification number (VIN), to see if it is involved in the recall.

“GM has been around a long time,” said Witmer, who explained that she has 30 years of experience at a Chevrolet dealer. “We’re going to do the right thing. We want them (customers) to be safe and we’ll do what we need to do. If they don’t feel safe driving their vehicle, they should call us or their local dealer.”

GM CEO Mary Barra spent two days last week answering questions before a Senate subcommittee. Barra said many of the answers Congress is seeking will come out in an internal GM investigation that should be completed in 45 to 60 days. The Justice Department is conducting a criminal investigation of GM’s handling of the recall. Barra promised the company will cooperate.

Follow Mercury Business Editor Donna Rovins on Twitter @MercBiz

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Donna Rovins is business editor of The Mercury, developing, writing, planning and executing the daily local Business section. Reach the author at drovins@pottsmerc.com
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